1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a mesh network. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for transmitting information associated with a beacon signal in a wireless mesh network.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a mobile communication system, a Mesh Point (MP) has a limited range in which a signal can be wirelessly transmitted. To solve this problem, a multi hop technique is used for communication with another MP or an Access Point (AP) that is outside the wireless transmission range of the MP. An example of a communication system using the multi hop technique is a wireless mesh network. A wireless mesh network is a communication system in which each MP performs data communication and relays and routes a signal received from another MP in the same network to yet another MP.
To prevent signal collision between MPs in the wireless mesh network, synchronization is employed. To facilitate synchronization, a beacon signal is used. Each of the MPs transmits the beacon signal with a predetermined time offset. Thus, beacon signal detection is essential for smooth communication between the MPs. However, a beacon signal of an MP may collide with a beacon signal of another MP due to the occurrence of a special event. Thus, if beacon signals collide with each other or a collision between the beacon signals is not previously detected, a network may segregate and a specific MP may fail to join the network. Accordingly, there is a need for preventing collisions between beacon signals in a wireless mesh network.